1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a multimedia application storage and player for storing distributed application packages each comprising a main application and service adding information which may include some additional applications and their service adding information and later playing a desired one of the distributed application packages while adding various services to the service.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As communication and data processing technologies advance, it has become possible to provide multimedia information in a digital form. Further, larger-capacity mass storage media has enabled such a broadcasting system as permits the user to play, at any desired time, applications which have been broadcast and stored in the mass storage media.
In one such prior art broadcasting system, a broadcast station broadcasts data for broadcasting programs at least including content data to be actually viewed by viewers and control data for the programs and each viewer receives and stores the broadcast data with and in a receiver and views a stored program at any time. There is also a broadcasting system so adapted as to also broadcast control programs for processing the broadcasting program. In this case, a set of program (content) data and control data is composed of one or more objects and broadcasting is done by the object. This prior art system is intended for widening the variation of displayed contents by distributing control programs.
However, in the broadcasting system, a control program has to be made for each of the broadcasting program because the contents and the corresponding control program for a broadcasting program constitutes an object. Accordingly, if the contents of a display accompanying the program is to be changed, the corresponding control program will have to be altered.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a broadcasting system and a multimedia storage and player which permit a variety of services to be added to the main program (or application) by simply preparing data for the services without any need of altering a control program.